Arkansas' 2 racetracks give $109,500 to anti-casino groupLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Operators of Arkansas' two racetracks that allow electronic gambling gave more than $100,000 last month to a committee fighting a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize casinos in three counties. An August campaign finance report from the Committee to Protect Arkansas' Values/Stop Casinos Now shows that Oaklawn Racing and Gaming gave $59,500 to the committee. New York-based Delaware North, which owns Sou...

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Rat smell lingers in Arkansas governor's mansionLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' first lady says the interior of the governor's private office at the governor's mansion will have to be demolished to deal with the lingering smell of rats. First lady Susan Hutchinson informed the Arkansas Governor's Mansion Commission on Wednesday that the smell remains even though a rat infestation was removed and new insulation was installed, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2d3m7o4 ) reports....

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Inmate who escaped Arkansas custody found naked, under logMOUNTAIN VIEW, Ark. (AP) — Authorities say an Arkansas county jail inmate who escaped custody while awaiting medical treatment at a hospital was later found naked and hiding underneath a log in a nearby wooded area. Stone County Sheriff Lance Bonds says 27-year-old Joshua Kirby escaped from custody Monday while awaiting treatment at a hospital in Mountain View, about 80 miles north of Little Rock. Bonds says an Arkansas Department of Correctio...

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Missouri: Hunters in 7 counties should test for sick deerJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking deer hunters in seven southwest and south-central counties to have any deer they harvest tested for chronic wasting disease. The department says more than 100 deer and elk in northwest Arkansas tested positive for the disease. The closest infected deer was less than 15 miles from the Missouri border. So far, no cases of the disease have been confirmed in southern Miss...

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Man arrested in 2014 Siloam Springs fatal shootingBENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A Siloam Springs man has been arrested in connection to his father's 2014 killing. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette (http://bit.ly/2cXqVIU ) reports that the 30-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday in the death of 55-year-old Tim Meehan Sr. The man faces a capital murder charge and is being held in the Benton County Jail. A probable cause affidavit says Meehan was found dead in his bedroom on Dec. 26, 2014, with...

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University of Arkansas reports record enrollment of 27,194FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Student enrollment for the fall semester at the University of Arkansas is at a record 27,194. 11th day enrollment numbers released Wednesday represents a 1.6 percent increase over the fall 2015 enrollment of 26,754. The university said the number includes 4,967 freshman and 4,275 graduate students. All higher education institutions in Arkansas report to the state Department of Higher Education enrollment figures from ...

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Police: Little Rock man dies after driving car into pondLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Authorities say a 28-year-old man died after he lost control of his car and drove into a pond in west Little Rock. Arkansas State Police say Miguel Alvarez died in the incident Tuesday off Rahling Road. According to a preliminary report, Alvarez's car was swerving in and out of traffic before he drove off the road and crashed into several trees before ending up in the pond. Little Rock police pulled Alvarez's submerged...

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Juvenile from Brinkley killed when car collides with semiBRINKLEY, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas State Police say a Brinkley girl was killed and two others were injured when the car they were in collided with a tractor-trailer rig on Highway 238 in Monroe County. The names of the three were not released. A state police report says the girl was a passenger in the car that collided with the semi when the truck pulled from a private drive and into the path of the car on Tuesday. Two other juvenile girls in the ...

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Arkansas county says hot checks lawsuit should be tossedLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An attorney for Pulaski County says a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Sherwood's hot-check court should be dismissed. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2cNRY8V ) that David Fuqua's response filed Tuesday denies wrongdoing and says the lawsuit should be tossed because it fails to state a proper claim. The filing also attacks the plaintiffs' rights to file the action. The lawsuit f...

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Sheriff: Police dog dies in hot car in western ArkansasHUNTSVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Authorities say a police dog died after she was left in a hot patrol car by her handler in western Arkansas. Madison County Sheriff Phillip Morgan says the dog, named Lina, died Friday. The sheriff says the dog's handler was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. The 5-year-old dog had been with the sheriff's office for three years, and the sheriff says the animal was used in drug investigations. ...

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Judge finds Arkansas House hopeful ineligible for ballotLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A special judge says a Republican candidate for a south Arkansas state House seat is ineligible for the November ballot because of a previous conviction for writing a bad check. Special Circuit Judge David Laser ruled Monday that Jim Hall be removed from the ballot because of the misdemeanor hot-check conviction. An arrest report says Hall wrote a $500 check for an egg incubator in May 2014 that was twice returned by t...

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Envoy Air announces plans for Little Rock maintenance baseLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A subsidiary of American Airlines has announced plans to establish a new aircraft maintenance facility at Little Rock's airport, a move that is expected to create 60 new jobs over five years. Envoy Air Inc. announced plans Tuesday for the new facility at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock. The new facility will provide scheduled overnight maintenance for Envoy's 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft as...

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Some Arkansas lawmakers criticize state vaccination policyLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Some Arkansas lawmakers have criticized the state's policy of removing unvaccinated students from school during an outbreak as mumps is spreading in the northwest part of the state. At a meeting of the state House and Senate Public Health committees Monday, some said it's unfair that previously unvaccinated children can return to school immediately after receiving a vaccine, even though the vaccine doesn't become fully...

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GOP Sen. Boozman launches first TV ad of general electionLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Boozman began airing his first television ads of his general election campaign on Tuesday, a sharp contrast to an Arkansas Senate race two years ago that had saturated the airwaves. The first-term Republican senator's campaign said it was spending more than $300,000 to air the 30-second spot statewide. The ad doesn't mention Boozman's Democratic rival, former federal prosecutor Conner Eldridge, and inste...

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Martin: Arkansas panel can't reject Ten Commandments displayLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin said Tuesday a state panel doesn't have the authority to reject placing a Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol, while three other proposed displays would still need legislative approval The state Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission appointed two subcommittees to review the Ten Commandments monument along with proposals for a satanic statue and a brick "wall of separation" fro...

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Arkansas governor: Use tobacco funds for disabled programsLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson proposed Tuesday that the state tap into $8.5 million in unused money from the 1999 settlement with tobacco companies to provide more services to the developmentally disabled. Speaking to the Tobacco Settlement Commission, the Republican said he'll ask lawmakers next year to redirect the money from a health insurance program that ended in 2013 when Arkansas expanded Medicaid. The money woul...

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Arkansas governor, doctors criticize medical marijuana pushLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the former head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, accused medical marijuana supporters on Monday of misleading voters about the drug's benefits as they promote two new ballot measures that would legalize pot for some patients. Joined by some of the state's top doctors, the Republican governor said the measures "do not lead to good medicine" and said they would circumvent the ...

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Ten Commandments, Satanic monuments prompt flurry of callsLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Hundreds of people have reached out to Arkansas officials about proposals to erect Ten Commandments and Satan monuments at the state Capitol, with many objecting to the idea of a demon deity near the building and others arguing that neither religious statue belongs on public property. Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin's office last week released more than 200 voicemails it received through a hotline set up to rec...

Arkansas' own wins title as Miss AmericaATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The heels came off but the crown stayed on as Miss America began her reign with a romp in the Atlantic City surf, hours after winning the title. Savvy Shields, who represented Arkansas, won the crown Sunday night to become Miss America 2017. She drew wide attention by calling on Democrats and Republicans to learn to compromise with each other again. On Monday morning, she kicked off her sandals and walked across the seas...

Police: 1 of 5 people shot in Hot Springs has diedHOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) — Police say one of five people shot in Hot Springs last week has died. The Sentinel-Record (http://bit.ly/2cD9TAp ) reports that the victims were found shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday inside and outside a home on the city's west side. Officer Joey Williams said on Sunday that one of the victims, 23-year-old Tyler Donaldson, died overnight. The other victims are a 19-year-old woman and three males ages 17, 20 and 53. Thei...

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